Neal Adams Expresses Concern For Rumoured Comics Royalty Changes

Legendary comic book creator and activist Neal Adams wrote for Bleeding Cool about some changes to corporate comics policy he had heard. I have been told from Marvel sources that this is not the case with their plans. DC Comics however did not reply to such enquiries yesterday.

This is what Neal wrote:

It has come to my attention that Marvel and DC Comics may have instituted a policy that royalties for creative may end after 10 years after the creator’s death!!!!!

Are you people out of your minds?

People…… families have to hope to pray to God that the family breadwinner must outlive his whole family.

If tragedy strikes an artist or writer (cancer or other) that family is screwed after 10 years???

But if like Stan Lee has, they live close to a hundred, their ongoing increasing royalties are safe.

If I croak or any of my fellow creative working today croak. Well, families your out of luck.

Hey heartless Marvel and DC, you know that as time goes by royalties only “increase with time”?!!

30 years ago my work was reprinted in comic books that sold for thirty-five cents. Today my collected works sell in hardcover books for fifty dollars!

Has my meager royalty increased over time? Your damn tootin’ it has. Has it made Marvel and DC rich? Yes, it has.

And what about multi-million dollar computer games… Participation of our work in movies? Internet? Streaming? Knock! Knock!

Our families get cut off at the jugular. For their life’s blood.

New policies at DC and Marvel? This seems to be mean-tempered and very bad and cuts to the heart of creator’s families.

Let’s hope that wiser heads prevail and such a thing will not become policy.